Hair curler



May 2, 1944.

R. KRASBERG HAIR CURLER Filed 001;. .7, 1940 WW M10155;

Patented May 2, 1944 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAIR CURLER Rudolf Krasberg, Chicago, 111.

Application October 7, 1940, Serial No. 360,035

Claims. (Cl. 13 2-34) This invention relates generally to hair curlers and particularly to devices for facilitating the association of a hair curl with a conventional clip or clasp.

Experience has shown that conventional types of manually manipulated hair curlers present certain inconveniences and disadvantages. I refer particularly to those types of curlers equipped with a shiftable or pivoted finger designed to initially grip the hair strands upon a cylinder or tube 50 as to facilitate the subsequent curling of the hair which results from rotating the finger and tube as a unit. After the hair strands have been formed into a curl, this curl must be disengaged from the finger and in so doing it frequently happens that some of the strand become lodged or caught beneath the finger. In fact, it is one of the important objects of the present invention to provide a hair curling device of the type referred to above wherein a hair curl formed upon a cylinder and associated clamping or gripping finger may be shifted into association with a conventional hair clip without the slightest possibility of interference by the aforesaid gripping finger.

Certain conventional hair curlers of the type referred to above because of their complicated design make it necessary for the user to manipulate spring latches and the like, Whereas the present invention contemplates a device which is free of any spring latch mechanisms or automatically controlled spring devices and, in fact, is of extremely simple construction.

The invention contemplates a hair curling device having a minimum number of constituent parts, all of which may be produced by the prac- (ice of simple machine shop methods and particularly simple methods of stamping, forming and the like, whereby the cost of manufacture of the device may be held to a minimum.

More specifically, the invention contemplates a hair curler, as mentioned above, comprising in combination with the aforesaid tubular structure and strand gripping finger, means for facilitating manual rotation of said parts and for also facilitating the ease with which a hair curl may be slid into proper association or position upon a conventional clip.

The foregoing and other objects and advan tages will be more apparent from the following detailed description when considered in connection with the accompanying drawing wherein- Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a hair curler of the type contemplated by the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary perspective view of the clip receiving extremity of the curler of Fig. 1 with a hair clip shown in operative association therewith;

Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the clip as shown in Fig. 1 with a hair curl and hair clip shown in operative association with the device during the initial formation of the curl, the released position of the hair gripping finger being shown in dotted lines;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view similar to Fig. 3 disclosing the extended position occupied by the telescoped parts of the device of Fig. 3 when the hair curl is about to become associated with the clip;

Fig. 5 is an enlarged longitudinal sectional view of the device as shown in Fig. l with a clip fragmentarily shown in operative association therewith;

Fig. 6 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line 6-6 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary longitudinal sectional view similar to Fig. 5 disclosing the hair curling device when the telescopic element supporting the pivoted finger has been longitudinally shifted to the right and said finger has been slightly elevated to release the strands of the hair curl; and

Fig. 8 is an exploded view disclosing in perspective the constituent sheet metal parts of the hair curling device.

Referring now to the drawing more in detail wherein like numerals have been employed to designate similar parts throughout the various figures, it will be seen that one embodiment of the invention contemplates a hair curling device Which includes an external tubular structure or elongated sleeve [0. This sleeve, shell or tube It has a smooth outer peripheral surface for receiving or accommodating the hair strands to be curled. Pivotally supported in operative association with the tube I0 is a clamping or hair retaining means comprising a pivoted member I2 having a finger portion I 4 designed to completely overlie the tube II! when said parts occupy the positions shown in Figs. 1, 3 and 5. The fineii4 is arcuate in cross-section so as to conform substantially with the peripheral contour of the shell ID. The member l2 also includes a manually depressible extension l6 and a pair of depending ears l8 pivotally mounted upon an elongated supporting means comprising a tubular member or structure 20 by any suitable means such as a pin or rivet 22 which extends through the ears [8 and complemental ears 23 on the tube 20.

within the aperture 46.

The tubular member or support 20 is telescopically slidable within the tubular member It] as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. The degree of relative telescopic movement of the tubular members I!) and 20 is governed by a protuberance 24 in the tube I which extends into a longitudinal slot 26 in the tube 28. In Fig. 5 the tube 20 has been shifted to its innermost position and in Fig. 7 said tube has been shifted outwardly to the limit of its extended position. The engagement of the protuberance 24 within the slot 26 not only governs the sliding or telescopic movement of the tubular parts [6 and 20 but also prevents relative rotational movement of said parts. 'A leaf spring 28 of U-shaped configuration is interposed between the inner surface of the manually depressible extension l6 and the inner surface of the tube as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. V

The central portion of the spring is adapted to rest upon the rivet or pin 22, and the tube 20 is provided with a recess .30 to permit the insertion and detachment of the leaf spring 28.

A suitable manually engageable end portion comprising a knob or head 32 is secured to the outer extremity of the tube or sleeve 26 and is secured as a unit to said tube in any suitable manner such as by means of an indentation 34 which interlocks with a complementary aperture within the tube 20.

Within the opposite extremity of the tube or sleeve In I provide means for impositively gripping one leg of a conventional spread hair clip and to this end I rotatably mount a thimble-like sleeve or cap 36. This cap 36 has a closed outer extremity 38 provided with an aperture 40 designed to receive one leg 42 of a conventional hair clip designated generally by the numeral 44. The other corrugated or undulated leg 46 of the clip 44 is designed to engage the peripheral outer surface at the annular rounded corner or margin of the thimble-like cap 36, said edge being designated by the letter A. To secure the member 36 against axial displacement with respect to the tube or sleeve I0 I provide the member .36 with an annular indentation or groove 48 which receives a complementary indentation or protuberance 50 formed in the tube l0. This arrangement permits of free rotation of the cap 36 within the sleeve i0 and secures the parts against axial 01' longitudinal separation. To provide an annular space or recess for receiving the free extremity of the leg 42 lot the clip 44 I mount within the thimble-like cap 36 a capsuleshaped element or ferrule 52. The closed extremity of the member 52 has a smooth spherical surface and the opposite extremity is provided with an enlargement 54 which is lodged between the annular indentation 48 of the member 36 and an axially spaced indentation or bead 56. Thus, the ferrule 52 is secured against axial displacement with respect to the member 36. It will be noted that the annular space presented between the inner periphery of the member 36 and the outer periphery of the capsule-like structure or ferrule is just sufficient to snugly receive the free extremity of the clip leg 42. The spherical surface provided at the extremity of the ferrule 52 insures automatic guidance of the free extremity of the leg 42 into registration with the annular groove surrounding the ferrule 52 after said leg has been longitudinally inserted By this arrangement the hair clip is gently yet firmly located in position to receive a hair curl from the outer periph- 7 cry of the tube Ill in a manner about to be described.

In this connection it should be noted that the annular indentation or protuberance 48 serves as a limiting stop or abutment for the hair clip leg 42. Thus, when the leg 42 is inserted within the aperture 4|] and is eventually brought into engagement with the rounded or spherical extremity of the ferrule 52, it is automatically directed into the annular recess surrounding the ferrule and the leg 42 becomes flexed, as clearly illustrated in Fig. 5. This flexing of the leg 42 and the frictional engagement thereof between the inner periphery of the member 36 and the outer periphery of the ferrule 52 secures the hair clip against inadvertent axial separation. The edge A of the member 36 merely serves to maintain separation of the hair clip.

In using the hair curler device just described, a clip is first inserted within the aperture 40, as previously described, so as to occupy the position shown in Figs. 3, 4 and 5. The free extremity of a lock of hair designated by the letter B is then positioned beneath the finger [4. This is accomplished by depressing the extension l6 downwardly so as to elevate the finger to the dotted position shown in Fig, 3. When the extension I6 is released the spring 28 automatically shifts the finger M to the solid line position shown in Fig. 3 so as to grip the lock of hair against the periphery of the tube It]. The right hand, as illustrated by the dotted lines in Fig. 3, is then employed to rotate the knurled head or knob 32 so as to cause the strands of hair in the lock B to be curled around the tube It and the finger l4. The left hand grips the cap member 36 which now carries the clip 44. As previously described, the tube or sleeve Ii] may be freely rotated without imparting rotation to the thimble-like member 36 which is now gripped by the users left hand. When the lock of hair B has been completely curled upon the tube H) the user then gently encircles the curl between the thumb and forefinger of the left hand and the right hand is employed to exert an outward pull upon the knob 32. The sleeve l0, together with the curl formed thereon, remains stationary while the sleeve or tube 26 moves outwardly. The outward movement of the sleeve 20 and the consequent longitudinal shifting of the finger l4 eventually causes the inner surface of said finger to move into engagement with a protuberance or cam element 58. As a result, the finger I4 is slightly elevated so as to completely release any engagement thereof with the hair strands of the curl now formed on the sleeve It. When the sleeve 26 reaches the position shown in Fig. '7,

continued movement of said sleeve to the right imparts axial movement to the sleeve Ill. The users fingers on the left hand still encircle the curl on the sleeve 10 and the corrugated leg 46 of the clip 44 is drawn over the outer periphery of the curl. This eventually results in the curl being positioned between both legs of the clip. When this position of the curl and clip is reached the closed or looped extremity of the clip engages the hair strands and cooperates with the users grip upon said strands in preventing further longitudinal movement of the clip in response to the pull which is being exerted upon the knob 32 by the users right hand. Thus, continued longitudinal movement of the parts in, 20 and 36 to the right results in pulling the member 35 out of association with the leg 42 of the clip 44. The legs of the clip which were previously maintained spread by the coaction of the ferrule 52 and the member 36 automatically spring together so as to hold the previously formed curl in place. It should be understood that the frictional engagement of the undulated leg 46 with the rounded corner A and the frictional engagement of the leg 42 with the members 36 and 52 is just sufiicient to properly maintain the clip in position and does not interfere with the axial association of the clip and curl or the separation of the clip from the curling device during the final axial or longitudinal shifting of the combined sleeves in and 20. The edge A of the member 36 merely serves to maintain the clip spread while the leg 42 cooperates with the ferrule 52 and the member 36 in frictionally securing the clip against unauthorized axial separation.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that my invention contemplates a curl forming device which is extremely simple in construction. The ease with which a conventional hair clip may be initially associated with and subsequently separated from the curling device materially contributes toward the speed and convenience with which the device may be used for its intended purpose. One of the legs of conventional hair clips is always slightly longer than the other and hence it is this longer leg which is inserted within the aperture 40 of the member 36. Once this longer leg has been inserted within the aperture the opposite undulated leg automatically slides over the rounded extremity of the member 36. This results in the two legs being spread sufficiently to receive the curl as the curling device is shifted to the right as previously described. With this arrangement no preliminary manual spreading of the clip prior to the application thereof to the curling device is required. It will also be apparent that no spring operated mechanical means of any kind is necessitated to effect the separation of the clip and curler. It is accomplished by a simple longitudinal shifting of the curler by the right hand with the fingers of the left hand cooperating in bringing about the final assembly of the clip and hair curler.

It is also important to note that my invention precludes the possibility of catching or clamping hair strands beneath the pivoted finger as the finger and its associated tube or sleeve are being disassociated from a curl. The slight lifting or upward tilting of the finger, which takes place automatically during the initial telescopic movement of the tubes l and 20, is sufficient to render the hair curl free from any engagement with the finger and consequently free from any gripping or clamping action of the finger upon the hair strands. As previously pointed out, the constituent parts of the hair curler just described are relatively few in number and are all capable of being produced most economically by the practice of conventional machine shop methods and particularly the practice of simple and conventional stamping and forming operations. It will therefore be appreciated that my invention contemplates a hair curler which may be manipulated with the utmost ease, which may be produced at a very low cost and which is very compact and durable.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the specific structural details disclosed herein but contemplates other advantages and modifications in structural design coming within the scope of the claims appended hereto.

The invention is hereby claimed as follows:

1. A hair curler device comprising an elongated supporting member having a manually engageable end portion, a sleeve slidably mounted on said member for longitudinal movement relative thereto, said sleeveproviding an external, peripheral hair curling surface, hair retaining clamping means secured to said supporting member and extending therefrom in overlying relation to said sleeve to clamp the hair wound on said sleeve when the sleeve is in a retracted position on the supporting member, said sleeve being slidable longitudinally of the supporting member to an extended position in which the hair wound on the external peripheral surface of the sleeve is spaced from the hair retaining clamping means thereby permitting longitudinal manual removal of the curl from the external peripheral surface of said sleeve.

2. A hair curler device as defined in claim 1 wherein said sleeve comprises means associated therewith and operable as an incident to relative longitudinal movement thereof for shifting said clamping means away from said surface.

3. A hair curler device as defined in claim 1 including means longitudinally fixed with respect to the extremity of said sleeve opposite from said manually engageable portion of the supporting member for impositively accommodating the open extremity of a spread conventional hair clip so as to position the said extremity of the clip in alignment with said peripheral surface.

4. A hair curler device as defined in claim 1 including means longitudinally fixed with respect to the extremity of said sleeve opposite from said manually engageable portion of the supporting member for impositively accommodating the open extremity of a spread conventional hair clip so as to position the said extremity of the clip in alignment with said peripheral surface, said last named means being mounted for relatively rotation about the longitudinal axis of the sleeve to facilitate winding of the curler on said surface.

5. A hair curler comprising a cylindrical member the external periphery of which provides a hair receiving and curling surface, a hair retainer associated with said member and overlying said surface of the member at one end thereof, a hollow hair clip holder extending from the opposite end of said member, said holder having a relatively thin, cam-shaped outer end wall with an axial opening therethrough permitting insertion of one leg of the hair clip, a deflector mounted in said holder and providing a clip camming surface aligned with said opening and shaped to direct the end of one leg of the clip, when inserted through said opening at an acute angle to the axis of the holder, into engagement with the inner surface of the holder, whereby as said one leg of the clip is pushed through the opening at such an acute angle to the axis of the holder the inner surface of the holder and its outer end cause the other leg of the clip to spread at a wide angle to the external surface of the holder and the external surface of said member to receive freely the curl of hair from said member, said hollow hair clip holder being journalled for free rotation in said cylindrical member for permitting the member to rotate freely relative to the holder and the inserted clip.

RUDOLF KRASBERG. 

